Not only were their living conditions squalid, but the two girls are dangerously obese. The 5-year-old weighs 158 pounds and has trouble walking, the news station reports. The 4-year-old weighs 89 pounds -- a typical child that age should weigh about 40 pounds, according to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, experts say having an overweight child isn't child abuse, in and of itself."Obesity is usually part of a much bigger problem. In a child protective services capacity, it would be seen as medical neglect, and that's just part of the whole picture," Linda Spears, vice president of policy and public affairs at the Child Welfare League of America, tells ABC. "The question is what's going on with the family that's causing the situation in which you have an obese child with health consequences that are not being addressed."

She adds that as the national "epidemic" of childhood obesity continues to grow, social services departments are likely to see more and more obese kids when investigating child abuse claims.

"There's a good likelihood that you will see a larger percentage of these cases becoming part of the child welfare caseload," Spears tells ABC.

MARIETTA, Ga. (CBS) During the summer, young children usually
spend time outdoors frolicking in sprinklers, riding bicycles, and
playing with friends.

Two young sisters from Georgia have spent
their summer - and most of their lives - locked inside their
filth-ridden house surrounded by cockroaches, fleas, and "giant
spiders," authorities say.

Cobb County Police invaded the
home near Marietta on Monday, Aug. 16, and have since charged James and
Anne Cardona with felony child cruelty, and contributing to the
delinquency of a minor, reports The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

When
police first entered the dilapidated home, they were taken aback by the
smell of "urine and mold" and could not believe that anyone in their
right mind would inhabit the house.

Unfortunately, they had not yet met the Cardonas' 5-year-old and 4-year-old daughters.

i think when black people think of ideas like this as good what theyre
actually seeing is white people being arrested. the reality would more likely be that its just be another way to lock up black people and seperate black
families because thats exactly what it would be used for. stop helping them.

i think when black people think of ideas like this as good what theyre actually seeing is white people being arrested. the reality would more likely be that its just be another way to lock up black people and seperate black families because thats exactly what it would be used for. stop helping them.

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